Skis equipped with a fairing adapted to improve their performance

ABSTRACT

A ski tip fairing is disclosed, which has the purpose of preventing two skis from overlapping. The fairing has a specially designed shape so as to generate a reactive force which not only prevents ski overlapping but assists in realigning the skis when they show a tendency towards overlapping.

United States Patent [191 Rovatti Apr. 16, 1974 SKIS EQUIPPED WITH A FAIRING ADAPTED TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE [76] Inventor: Igino Rovatti, Via Rosta 7, Turin 10143, Italy [22] Filed: June 27, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 266,742

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 28, 1971 Italy... 69195/71 Apr. 19, 1972 Italy 23396/72 [52] US. Cl 280/11.l3 T, 280/11.37 E [51] Int. Cl. A636 5/06 [58] Field of Search. 280/ll.l3 T, 11.37 G, 11.13 F

Primary Examiner-Kenneth H. Betts Assistant Examiner-David M. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Eric I-I. Waters [5 7] ABSTRACT A ski tTp fairing is disclosed, which has the purpose of preventing two skis from overlapping. The fairing has a specially designed shape so as to generate a reactive force which not only prevents ski overlapping but assists in realigning the skis when they show a. tendency towards overlapping.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures [56] 7 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,031,697 5/1962 Klein 9/310 PATENIEDAPR-I elm SHEET 2 BF 2 SKIS EQUIPPED WITH A FAIRING ADAPTED TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE This invention relates to a novel type of skis, whose performance is improved by having the ski blades equipped with a specially provided fairing on their upper surface.

Practitioners of the ski sport with the skis as presently available, can appreciate the difficulty which is experienced in maintaining the ski blades in side-by-side relationship while performing various maneuvering exercises. During any exercise, very often the blade of one ski becomes superposed on the blade of the other ski, the satisfactory performance of the sport being thus impaired and sometimes resulting in the fall of the skier.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel type of skis equipped with means which are adapted to prevent the overlapping of the ski blades, thus avoiding the above enumerated defects leading to a trouble in the performance of an exercise and the possiblefall of the skier. In order to achieve this object, the phenomenon according to which the overlapping takes place and becomes more and more serious has been investigated, and it has been ascertained that this is originated, generally speaking, by a very small, hardly detectable overlapping of one ski blade over. the other ski blade and that the phenomenon grows easily due to the fact that the slipping of one ski over the other one is controllable with only great difficulty.

Inasmuch as the initial conditions are those ofa virtually negligible overlap, it has been experimentally found and concluded that in majority of the cases, a small force would be sufficient .with the force being imparted tranversely of the ski blade which has begun to overlap the other ski, the force being-imparted in opposition to the transverse or lateral movement of'the ski blade, so as to reinstate the side-by-side or parallel relationship between the ski blades and to thus restore the harmonious development of the exercise while concurrently preventing the skiers fall.

The small force which is necessary to overcome the phenomenon at its very inception, can well be a reactive force, that is, a force imparted to the blade of the other ski by the blade of the ski which is being overlapped thereby. This reactive force can be originated spontaneously by properly equipping the top surface of the ski blades with a cowling or fairing. Such a force, in order to restore the side-by-side relationship of the ski blades, must be so directed that it not only repells the ski which tries to overlap the other ski, but also so as to guide it in order that the overlapping ski may rethe straight portion of the blade, while, for'the remainder of its length, it can be left freely in contact with the surface of the tip portion blade so as not to negatively influence the ski tip resiliency.

The fairing can be restrained against side or lateral displacements by means of a dowel which extends vertically from the upper surface of the ski blade tip, said dowel being introduced with a loose fit, in the longitudinal direction of the ski, into a hole formed in the bottom face of the fairing.

The foregoing and other features, objects and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent from the following exemplary description as given with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the tip of a ski constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2is a plan view.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a pair of skis made according to this invention.

Having reference to the drawings, the subject ski has, characteristically and in conformance, with the upper surface of the curved ski tip 1, a fairing 2 which has a substantially triangular transverse cross-section, having a longitudinal which is sloped, top ridge 3 as at 4, in order to provide a connection the straight portion of the ski blade. The fairing has a longitudinal axis which approximately follows the curvature of the ski tip. Obviously, thefairing Z can be constructed of .different materials which, however, should be such, at any rate, as not to render the ski excessively heavy and not to prejudice the resiliency of the ski tip. For example, fairing made of a plastics material can be employed, which may be hollow in its interior, or a fairing of rubber, or fabric-reinforced rubber which is fastened to the ski by means of a cement. The fairing can be mounted on the ski tip also in the manner as clearly shown in FIGS. 1,

. 2 and 3 of the drawings. More exactly, the fairing 2 can gain its correct position, thus assisting the effort which is presumably being exerted by the skier in the same direction. Hence the necessity of appropriately shaping,

the fairing. 1

The ski constructed in accordance with the present invention is characterized in that it includes, in correspondence with the upper surface of the curved tip of the blade, a fairing having a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape, the beveled apex having a longitudinal ridge which is sloped down the straight portion of the ski blade, and with the fairinghavinga longitudinal axis which approximately follows the curvature of the ski tip.

Such a fairingcan be fastened to the ski. bladeonly in the region of the portion where it is sloped toward be permanently affixed to the ski blade only in the region of its sloped end 4 through an appropriate fastening means 6, which can take any number of forms. Through the remainder of its length along the ski tip, the fairing bottom surface can be: in free or sliding contact with the upper surface of the tip of the blade so as not to have a negative influence on the tip resiliency. The fairing can also be blocked against side or lateral displacements by the agency of a dowel 7 having a circular cross-section which is fastened to and extends vertically from the upper surface of the ski blade tip, said dowel being loosely positionable within a hole 8, which is of oval or elongate shape with the longer axis, oriented longitudinally of the ski, and which is formed in the bottom face of the fairing.

In use, when either ski tends to overlap the other, the fairing of the ski being overlapped, with its inner or side wall acting like an inclined plane, hinders such a ten dency and keeps the ski blades in side-by-side relationship, so that the skis are maintained parallel and close to one another.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a ski having a straight blade portion extending into an upwardly curved tip, an attachment supported on the upper surface of said ski tip adapted to prevent overlapping of adjacent of said skis during use thereof, said attachment comprising: a fairing having a longitudinal axis substantially following the curvature of said ski tip, the lower surface of said fairing conforming generally to the configuration of said ski tip, said fairing being essentially triangular in lateral cross-section, and including an upper longitudinal central ridge having a sloped portion inclined toward the straight blade portion of said ski; means fastening said attachment to the straight blade portion of said ski dowel means fastened in the central portion of the curved tip of said ski and projecting normally upsaid ski. 

1. In combination with a ski having a straight blade portion extending into an upwardly curved tip, an attachment supported on the upper surface of said ski tip adapted to prevent overlapping of adjacent of said skis during use thereof, said attachment comprising: a fairing having a longitudinal axis substantially following the curvature of said ski tip, the lower surface of said fairing conforming generally to the configuration of said ski tip, said fairing being essentially triangular in lateral cross-section, and including An upper longitudinal central ridge having a sloped portion inclined toward the straight blade portion of said ski; means fastening said attachment to the straight blade portion of said ski dowel means fastened in the central portion of the curved tip of said ski and projecting normally upwardly from the upper surface thereof; and longitudinally elongate recess means being formed in the bottom of said fairing and adapted to receive said projecting dowel so as to prevent lateral movement between said fairing and said ski tip.
 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, said fairing being fastened to said ski in the region of said straight blade portion, the lower surface of said fairing being in free contact with the upper surface of the curved tip of said ski. 